From Photoplay ‘now it can be told! The Jean Harlow Story Hollywood SUPPRESSED August 1937

As the snowdrops bow their aching heads in the blustery weather forecasts that prevail through January and February, I think back often on the albums I have recorded and the time that has passed and I have to remind myself on the lost couple of years I spent in Oxford trying to record that album ‘Other Days’ which never saw the light. Sometimes people remark on those tracks I wrote with Mike, and then David Baron pulled me back to the Catskill mountains and helped me record ‘Good Fortune, Bad Weather’ which is work I am very proud of. It’s possibly not been heard that much and I have yet to put it on Spotify. The one thing I’ve been right about though is the bad weather!

Unknown coastal photograph

Here’s a postcard of Dawlish in sunnier times. My thoughts go out to all of those affected.

Hello Love, Do you remember This place? We fed the Ducks with aunty Iris & Beverly a few years ago. Dad is trying to get a new type all our love Mam & Dad

I tried to do a film for every track but I started to do less because I exhausted a lot of my locations. Secondly there’s a lot more films now (since I started in 2008) than there used to be due to iphones and most people don’t have time to watch videos and certainly Facebook is a hard place to put them up.

Anonymous photograph

I have been so fortunate – I filmed ‘Cold’ in ‘The Deep’ in Hull which his now going to be City of Culture and ‘Pandora’ on the very last day of Streatham Ice Rink which will never be seen again. I filmed ‘Lucky’ on the way to work as well as ‘Everyman’ and others as you will probably see in my bedroom, on the roof, in the garden in Suffolk or at Southbank or Sizewell B! They are vignettes into my life! Some of my other films were carefully transferred 16mm or 35mm film which I took to Stanleys in Wardour Street and edited so as far as I know will not have been in circulation or even seen before. You can see all my films on my Youtube Channel.

Obscurity is harder to come by which is why my collection of postcards are now littered with photographs which are unique. I find such pleasure in the old, the obscure and the secret treasure troves of the past. I do, however, also create new things.

Unknown photograph of tea room

I have been recording quite a lot in the last year or so. I have three great tracks with Dave Barbarossa which are ready to mix and have recorded eight songs with Mark Vernon. Mark began his music career at Cadburys so I found this to give him. He then went on to manage PJ Harvey in the early days and John Cale. It’s been a great experience for us both to record what will be an album in Brick Lane with this fantastic studio we found Dada Studios. I am keeping a blog for our work under the title Unbeknown Records. Please click on that link for more photographs that I shall be posting shortly and information.

Special Visit to Cadbury Bros Ltd Bournville 16th May 1962

Marko taking a picture of a squirrel from Dada Studios February 2014

The next stage though is all about money and unfortunately I lost one of my jobs after Christmas but I’ve blow dried my hair, put on my suit and I’m back in the saddle after a couple of interviews!

The plan (and I’ve had many before and usually the plan goes wrong!) is to release a single ‘At the Crossroads’ with three tracks in the next three months, and aim for Autumn to complete the project with Marko. Before all this I need to pay for my microphone, which has been repaired and is still at Funky Junk an incredible place. Thank you Dave! I will be there soon!

Aside from all this recording I plan to go to Corisca for two gigs at the end of March which will be exciting and hopefully a gig in April. I will, therefore, be getting out the instruments again “just for a little while, oh just to see you smile” (‘I Love You’ by The Velvet Underground)

So in celebration of St Valentine here’s a postcard I bought in Prague last year:

Den pro mou lasku 14.2 Valentyn -Leko 0641:20 27 70 Czech Republic

A very old postcard from 1906…..

Where Ignorance is Bliss 1906 Dear M, Hope to see you soon From you know

Unknown cutting that flew across the table at Portobello market and Lettie felt compelled to buy it when the next door trader kindly found it

Because of my obsession with volcanoes at the moment and due to the fact one of our new tracks is written around them here is my ideal Valentine dinner venue a completely empty restaurant overlooking a huge volcano how romantic!